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Journalism of Courage
Pawar play
Has Sharad Pawar fallen a victim to the familiar Marxist dictum that those who ignore the lessons of history are compelled to repeat it, the first time as a tragedy, the second time as a farce? In 1978 he quit the Congress on the issue of wounded Maratha pride, now Pawar has taken on another Gandhi on the issue of national pride. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, till recently Pawar8217;s good friend, has come up with another tenet: those who leave the Congress like lions end up returning like lambs. For proof look at Arjun Singh or Pranab Mukherjee.
The art of the matter
He may be a talented art student, but the amazing build-up Adarsh Alphons, 14, has received is not thanks to his artistic genius. It is due solely to the clout of his father, K.J. Alphons, private secretary to Ram Jethmalani, Minister for Urban Development. Last week, the junior Alphons held an exhibition in Delhi which was inaugurated by President K.R. Narayanan, who hails from the same state as Alphons 8212; Kerala.
Air-India, the Government of India and the Leela group of hotels sponsored the Alphons show, including paying for the thick and lavishly produced catalogue. Air-India provided free tickets to young Alphons and his travelling companion, since his painting exhibition is being shown internationally, courtesy the Government of India.
Last year, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation HUDCO, which is controlled by Jethmalani8217;s ministry, was persuaded arm-twisted? to bring out a calendar featuring Adarsh8217;s paintings. HUDCO also footedthe bill for the 60,000 New Year greeting cards sent out by Jethmalani, the senior Alphons and the secretary to the ministry. The cards naturally were reproductions of Adarsh8217;s works, for which the young lad was paid the kind of fee that many established painters cannot aspire to.
Special favourite
Sonia Gandhi8217;s immaculate appearance and ethnic chic make her the front runner for the title of the best-dressed woman politician. Sonia8217;s classy, crisply starched handloom saris from different parts of the country are a decided cut above Jayalalitha8217;s shower curtain print nylons, Mayawati8217;s polyester kurtas with bows and beading and heavy gold jewellery, Mamata8217;s crumpled white saris and the clinging but rather predictable chiffons favoured by most female MPs with pretensions to a royal lineage. Of particular interest is a brown sari from Andhra Pradesh, which appears to be a thelia. She has been wearing this sari with a white blouse on special occasions, such as the day she went to Rashtrapati Bhavanto stake her claim to form the government; at the AICC meet on May 6, when she lashed out at the BJP; and last week when she announced her resignation as president of the Congress.
Mahajan8217;s meddling
Last week, reportedly on instructions from Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pramod Mahajan, the chief producer, News, Doordarshan, the additional director in-charge of the DD newsroom and the news editor were abruptly transferred. The last two have been sent to the Press Information Bureau PIB. Since Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body, at least on paper, legally the employees cannot be moved out to the Government of India.This is apparently the 11th time in 14 years that D.N. Mohanty, the additional director in-charge of the DD newsroom, has been transferred. It is surely a testimony to his objectivity and professionalism that none of his political masters was happy with him. During K.P. Singh Deo8217;s tenure as minister, Mohanty was removed from AIR for being supposedly anti-Congress, duringJaipal Reddy8217;s tenure, he was transferred out of DD for an alleged anti-JD bias and now he has lost his present job for not projecting the BJP adequately.
Since the elderly Prasar Bharati board appears apathetic about protesting over the brazen meddling by the caretaker government, will Rashtrapati Bhavan please take note? Specially since more politically motivated transfers in DD are in the offing.
Full marks, Antony
Journalists and Congress members have frequently listed P.A. Sangma and A.K. Antony, along with Oscar Fernandes and Ajit Jogi, as partymen who are particularly close to Sonia Gandhi. The assumption has been based simply on the communal and erroneous belief that Sonia shares a special rapport with Christians in the party.
Incidentally, Antony8217;s refusal to be steamrolled into agreeing to the expulsion of Pawar without first giving him a show-cause notice once again demonstrates his strength of character compared to his spineless colleagues, who, whatever their private views, wereparanoid that their loyalty to the Gandhi family should not be suspect. Small wonder that one potential Brutus screamed the loudest for Pawar8217;s immediate expulsion!
